Arsenal v Barcelona: Cesc Fabregas fears leg injury will keep him out of World Cup

Cesc Fabregas fears that he will miss the rest of the season and potentially
the World Cup after suffering a suspected broken leg as he scored Arsenal’s
equaliser against Barcelona.

Injury fear: Cesc Fabregas fears he may have broken a bone in his leg and could miss the World Cup finals In South AfricaPhoto: EPA

By Jeremy Wilson

7:30AM BST 01 Apr 2010

On a costly night for Arsenal, William Gallas also pulled a calf muscle, meaning he will miss the remainder of this season, while Andrei Arshavin faces the prospect of a lengthy absence after suffering a calf strain.

Fabregas had played despite severe bruising to his shin following a challenge on Saturday by Birmingham’s Craig Gardner and now thinks he could have fractured his fibula on the same leg. An initial X-ray on Wednesday night was inconclusive and a further scan will take place on Thursday afternoon.

“I am not good,” said Fabregas. “I fear the worst which is that I broke something but we have to wait. I took the penalty quite strong and I went to get the ball and after that I couldn’t walk anymore. I don’t know whether I did it then or when I was fouled for the penalty [by Carles Puyol].

“I don’t think it is going to be good news but I hope that it will be. For 83 minutes it was not a gamble to play. I knew in my mind I was not 100 per cent and I knew in my mind there was something there but, until the penalty, I was feeling quite good. It was a gamble worth taking; it was an amazing experience. The injury was bad but I think I would have done it anyway having been injured before."

Wenger would not say he regretted playing Fabregas, who left the Emirates on crutches, but did admit that the Spaniard could have worsened the injury by staying on the pitch until the end of the match.

“You have to trust how the player feels and you trust your medical people,” said Wenger. “There was nothing wrong medically they told me and Cesc had a test in the morning and he said he was ready to play.”

Of Gallas, Wenger said: “I think this time he will really need a lot of time. It's the end of the season; I'm talking about Arsenal – I think he will be ready for the World Cup. I took a gamble that didn’t pay off. I can say I regret that now.”

Wenger did not dispute that Arsenal had been “comprehensively out-played” but believes his team can still exploit weaknesses in Barcelona team next week without three of his best players.

“We gave away two kid's goals on tactical mistakes,” said Wenger. “I am still convinced that we can make life difficult for them and that we have a chance to qualify. It would be a big achievement but I believe we can do it.”